Ali was my personal tour guide and driver during my trip to Iran from 1 March to 15 March 2015. We were together 24 hours a day for 14 consecutive days. We drove over 3,584 kilometers from Shiraz to Tabriz and many stops and diversions along the way! I am a seasoned traveler and I have had many experiences with tour guides, and I can say, without reservation that Ali is the best tour guide I'd ever had! He works very hard, wants to give you the best experience of Iran, keen for you to know his country more, very thoughtful of his client, and always want to give his client complete service.
Ali will not only take you to the tourist sites but is also keen to give you an insight on how the locals live. He'll have you eating at the places where the locals eat, drink at the local tea house where he and his friends frequent, and tell you about everyday living in Iran. Ali is a young man and he will tell you what young Iranians, the future of Iran, think. I was quite fascinated to learn how young Iranians date because it is so different to the way we do in the West. As he pointed out to me, going out to visit Iran is not like going to the US or Western Europe where we already know so much of their culture due to watching films. Iran is a discovery and so the traveler should get more out of it than just guide book knowledge.
Many tour guides in my experience cannot stop talking, which annoys me. Ali is not one of them. He is aware that guide books have already invested a lot of ink into describing what you see before you. He will leave you to it, only saying something if he has something to supplement. But he is always ready to answer your questions if you have any.
When Ali says he is available 24 hours, he means it. As we were together 24 hours a day, he never took time off from working, only sleeping after I slept. He has the energy of a young man, which meant he was ready to go when I was.
Ali loves saving you money! If he thinks a hotel is charging unfairly, he will tell you and will try to lower the hotel rates for you. He has succeeded each time! Or, if the hotel is fixed price, he will tell you other hotels that are around, of the same quality, that are cheaper. When buying souvenirs, he will haggle the price down for you. He is very happy when he can get the price down for you.
When we were on the road, Ali cooked for me! We would stop by the roadside and Ali will prepare a meal. It is better than eating restaurant food at some places and risking diarrhea. And a much cheaper option too! There was always hot tea in the car!
Lastly, Ali has a very pleasant personality. He has high moral standards and he never wants to take monetary advantage of his clients. As I said before, I've had plenty of tour guide experience and I've since been aware of their tricks -- taking you to souvenir shops where they obviously earn a commission, offering to change your money for you where they get commission from the money changers, etc. But Ali is very transparent. Very honest. And I can say for certain the he applies no trickery. He is very proud of his honest work and he wants to only earn his money honestly.
I certainly think that you can do no better than hiring Ali as your tour guide. I am so glad I did. I've learned so much about the country, more than what the guide books can tell me, and I have Ali to thank for that!
I am happy to discuss more about Ali if you have any questions.
Read less
